Two-wheeled vehicle



(No Model.)

D. N. KRATZEB. TWO WHEELED VEHICLE.

No. 441,767. Patented Dec. 2, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID N. KRATZER, OF MARION, IOlVA.

TWO-WHEELED VEHICLE.

SlPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 441,767, dated December 2, 1890.

' Application filed October 6, 1890- Serial No. 367,224. (No model.)

. such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

The object of my invention is to improve the construction of two-wheeled vehicles by a novel construction and arrangement of the body and its supporting-springs and their connections, whereby the springs are placed directly under the thills and suspended therefrom, and together with the body are pro vided with means for adjusting the support with reference to the load, and at the same tin}? balancing the vehicle with respect to the t i s.

The invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter-fully set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a cart embodying my invention, the axle and cross-bars being in section. Fig. 2 is aplan View of the same. Fig. 3 is a rear view of the body-supporting stirrup and a portion of the connected bar, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the detail of the attachment of the springs at the front end.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A part of the invention relates to the mounting-of the body-supporting springs and a part to the mounting and adjustment of the body thereon.

The mounting of the springs will first be described.

Referring to the drawings, A is the axle, B the body, and O the thills. These in the main do not differ essentially from those in common use and need not be particularly described, except as to certain features, which will hereinafter be pointed out. The spring D, one of which supports either side of the body, is placed directly under the thill and parallel therewith, and therefore takes up no lateral room whatever. I accomplish this by passing the front end of the spring between the thill and the cross-bar E, and for this purpose a suitable gain is made in the cross-bar or thill. The projecting end of the spring is secured to the thill by a screw a. Under the curved portion of the thill is placed an iron brace 12, having a horizontal part b, and on this portion of the brace is a small roller 0, mounted in a suitable bearing d, attached to or forming the rear end of the spring. The iron thus serves the double capacity of brace for the thill and a support for the free end of the spring, and the whole construction is not only neat and symmetrical in appearance, but such as to leave all the space between the thills open for the body and its connections or attachments.

That part of the invention which relates to the mounting of the body on the springs is in the nature of an improvement on the 0011- struction shown and claimed in another application of even date herewith, having Serial No. 367,223. The feature common to both, and the only one which need to be considered herein, is the notched or corrugated plate D on the spring D. As applied in the said former application, this construction was such as to permit the shifting of the stirrup F at the upper end; but no provision was made for adjustment longitudinally at the lower end. By longitudinally is to be understood in the line of draft of the vehicle. The purpose of the construction in said former application was to carry the center of gravity with respect to the thills forward rather than backward with any adjustment corresponding to an increase in the load. The purpose of the present invention is to provide for a perfect balancing of the vehicle with respect to the thills by arranging for the adjustment of the stirrup and its connected cross-bar G both at the upper and lower ends.

By reference to the drawings it will be seen that the body is pivotally connected with the cross-bar E at the front end and about midway by a cross-bar G, connected at each end with a stirrup F, adapted to hook into the notches in the plate I) on the spring. This cross-bar is provided with an upwardly-extending rib or lug 6 under each side of the ICC body-tram e, and these sides of the body-frame are provided with notches ffiwith which said ribs or lugs engage. The lower portion of the stirrup should have quite a long thread, so as to permit the requisite vertical adjustment of the body support-ed thereby. This construction, as will be readily seen, is such as to permit universal adjustment of the stirrups according to the weight on the seat, and by this means the fiexure of the springs .may be nicely gaged according to the weight of the load, and at the same time the center of gravity with respect to the forward support of the thills may be accurately preserved at the proper point between the weight and such point of support. This may be done by shifting the upper end of the stirrup in the same direction as the lower end, or in an opposite direction, as experience may determine to be necessary in each case.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a two-Wheeled vehicle, the combination of the thill and angled brace therefor,

substantially as described, and a body-supporting spring mounted directly under said thill, with its front end attached to the thill and the rear end mounted by a roller on the horizontal portion of said brace.

2. In a two-wheeled vehicle, the combination of a bodysupporting spring having means for adjustment, substantially as described, 21. body partly suspended from said spring and having means, substantially as described, for the adjustment of its support, a suitable transverse support for the body, adapted for adjustment thereunder, and a stirrup connected with-said support and adapted to adjust at the upper end on said spring, whereby the stress upon the spring may be proportioned to the load and the vehicle balanced with respect to the thills, as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID N. KRA'IZER.

'Witnesses:

L. A. $1. J OHN,

W. BRAINERD. 

